Since last we considered the Top 25, UK has learned that Archie Goodwin will not be returning but Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress are. Losing Goodwin is not without its costs, but what the Wildcats really needed in order for their overwhelming influx of young talent—the No. 1 prospect in the 2013 class at four of the five positions—to help the team confidently challenge for an NCAA championship was physical maturity in the frontcourt along with at least a hint of veteran leadership. And they’ve got that now.

The Spartans hung onto shooting guard Gary Harris and power forward Adreian Payne, who were essential ingredients. What needs to be improved in order for the Spartans to win a championship is the team’s playmaking. They finished with more turnovers than assists last season. That’s not going to get it done. The team that eliminated them from the NCAAs, Duke, was plus-132. The team that won the tournament, Louisville, was plus-89.

All-American shooting guard Russ Smith made a surprising decision to play his senior season—surprising in that he (actually his father) had announced he would move on to the NBA draft. The likelihood that Smith would be undrafted whether he left college this year or in another 10 perhaps convinced him it was wiser to burnish his legacy as a collegian. Louisville needs a fair amount of improvement from reserve center Zach Price as well as to sort out what it wants to do at point guard.

If there were some certainty about how the Blue Devils would handle the big-man spot it might even be tempting to pick them to win it all. They will be as talented as they’ve been in probably a decade. Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Rasheed Sulaimon—who wants to guard all of them at once? Plus point guard Quinn Cook has a full year’s experience as a starter and there’s an army of tough, veteran reserves to fill in whatever gaps develop. But we’re still wondering if Marshall Plumlee can play even 20 minutes a game. If he can, well, look out.

Perhaps the silliest early entry decision of this season—in fact, maybe the silliest in years—robbed Arizona of an additional frontcourt weapon. Grant Jerrett had the chance to grow into a lottery level talent. Without him, though, the Wildcats still have four major talents up front: Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and freshmen Aaron Gordon and Rondae Jefferson, as well as a point guard transfer T.J. McConnell, to get them the ball in dangerous positions. Interestingly, Jerrett was likely to be the team’s best perimeter shooter. That’s what this team lacks most.

Just how good is Andrew Wiggins? If we’re right, he’s good enough to carry a team with no returning starters, a wealth of talented young players but no other immediate star and a just-OK point guard to the brink of the Final Four. If Vegas oddsmakers are right, he’s good enough to carry the Jayhawks into a fistfight for the national title. Essentially, we’re saying he’s worth three NCAA Tournament wins, and the wise guys are saying he’s worth five. Either way, the answer is: He’s pretty doggone good.

Let’s be honest. Last time we went through this exercise, we figured the Wolverines would be wiped out by the championship-game hangover that figured to send everyone into the NBA draft. No program had greater cause to celebrate when the declarations were done, though, because Michigan retained two talents with All-America potential: center Mitch McGary and forward Glenn Robinson. McGary is going to be a star. Robinson might have to manage the transition to small forward, and that could be problematic. The Wolverines also need incoming freshman Derrick Walton to be a big-time point guard.

Yes, we had the Orange at No. 5 just after the Final Four ended. No, they didn’t lose anyone significant since, and were delighted to discover reliable forward C.J. Fair will be back for his senior season. So why did we drop them a few spots? A touch of buyer’s remorse, perhaps, as well as the need to account for UM’s good fortune. We still believe in them more than most anyone. The question they’ll need to answer is whether there is enough perimeter shooting. That means Trevor Cooney will have to start playing with confidence.

While everyone wondered if P.J. Hairston would leave for the NBA draft, Reggie Bullock slipped out the side door and left a year of eligibility unspent. That removes a productive shooter from the squad, but Hairston’s return to the perimeter should erase any concern about that. For Carolina to be this good, or better, they need reliable play from the center position and point guard Marcus Paige to progress nicely into his sophomore season.

We had the Cowboys unranked previously, because we had no reason to believe Marcus Smart would be back for a second season. He was projected as a high-level pick in the draft, and certainly wouldn’t have gone outside the draft lottery. But he was not pleased with how his freshman season ended and wanted a chance to write another chapter. So here it is: key players intact, Smart to lead them. But is there enough size to get all the way to Dallas?

If there’s a team outside the top 10 that could challenge for the title, this might be the best choice. Incoming freshman Kasey Hill didn’t shine at the McDonald’s game, but we still believe he is a difference-maker.

If there’s a team outside the top 10 that could challenge for the Final Four, this might be the best choice. The Ducks’ addition of grad transfer Mike Moser and the expected development of some terrific freshmen makes them a legit Pac-12 title challenger.

The team’s lack of depth very well could become an issue. We’re talking like nine scholarship players now, and that includes the new coach’s son, Bryce Alford. Will Kyle Anderson have to/get to play the point?

The Tigers finally broke through to win an NCAA Tournament game in 2013, after twice falling just short of that. With the talent left over and all that’s coming in—considerable on both counts, led by guards Geron Johnson and Joe Jackson—there ought to be enough to win two.

If the Zags had held onto Kelly Olynyk, and it was close, they’d have been in our top five. If they’d gotten grad transfer Josh Davis from Tulane, and it was close, they’d be in the top 10. With neither, the frontcourt is capable but thin and there’s more pressure on guards Kevin Pangos and especially Gary Bell to score every night.

What the Vols needed was a new point guard, and that’s exactly what they got. Grad transfer Antonio Barton, in from Memphis, isn’t an enormous upgrade over Trae Golden. But he’s a change. That matters most.

This is the next step for the Hawkeyes in Fran McCaffery’s reconstruction of the program. Or maybe it’s skipping a step, to say they’ll go from out of the tournament to a top-tier seed. But they didn’t miss by much, and transfer Jarrod Uthoff will deepen an already rich frontcourt led by junior Aaron White.

The Crimson won an NCAA Tournament game even though Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry were not with the team because they withdrew from school because of an academic scandal. They were good for nearly 20 points combined the prior season, and their return to the team will make the Crimson bigger (Casey is 6-7) and more dynamic (Curry is a point guard who averaged 4.9 assists).

Is there a point guard in the house? Because if there is, UVa has everything else to take a significant step forward in the ACC. Joe Harris was becoming a star by season’s end, and there’s lots of young talent around him.

The toughest thing to account for in compiling a Top-25 list this season is how the league changes will affect everyone. Butler managed the jump to the A-10, but what about the Big East? IU isn’t going anywhere, so perhaps the magic of point guard Yogi Ferrell will quickly bring along a young but talented team.